ASUS Transformer Pad TF7101T rolling out October 21

ASUS' latest tablet/laptop hybrid powerhouse has had quite a long history, encompassing two versions. That journey is, hopefully, now over and interested buyers will be able to get their hands on the Transformer Pad T701T Monday next week.

ASUS has made interesting design decisions with their devices, ranging from the budget-friendly MeMO line, to the smartphone/tablet convertible PadFone, to this Transformer Pad series. In a way, ASUS could be credited for pioneering, if not popularizing, a form factor that combines the mobility of tablets with the productivity of notebooks by offering a detachable keyboard that, as the name, implies, transforms the device between two modes. The latest Transformer Pad, the Transformer Pad Infinity was announced at Computex last June but has then suddenly disappeared. But come September, the company unveiled an almost similar Transformer Pad TF701T which is fortunately here to stay.

The Transformer Pad is truly built with mobility and productivity, and even some gaming, in mind. It is powered by NVIDIA's latest and greatest Tegra 4 with a quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU and a 72-core mobile GeForce GPU. The 10.1-inch IPS display boasts of a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels, 178-degree viewing angle, and Sharp's IGZO TFT technology. On the keyboard dock side, we find a full laptop keyboard, a large multi-touch touchpad, USB 3.0 connectivity, a SDXC card slot, and, probably most importantly, it's own battery to give the tablet an additional lease on life when docked.

The ASUS Transformer Pad TF701T is set to launch on October 21 with a price tag of 429.99 GBP in the UK, roughly $690, but we're still waiting to hear of the actual international price. A TransCover screen cover, which transforms into a dual-angle stand, will also be available for $34.99, roughly $60.

I have a couple notebooks, a desktop computer, and an iPad, yet my transformer pad sees more use by far. I will probably get this.

uniquename72

It’ll be roughly $500 USD. Europeans almost always pay substantially more for electronics for a variety of reasons.

A.Noid

When does it launch in the U.S. and for how much?

Heather

I don’t think anytime soon. I ‘live chatted’ with an agent from Asus just today, and there is no release date yet for US or Canada…I’m waiting too.

2much

Too expensive, there are far more cheaper options available.

Eli Kennedy

I had the original transformer. The TF101 with keyboard dock. Since replaced with a Nexus 10. The transformer dock is far more effective than any other attempt I’ve seen in a tablet keyboard. I was able to plug in 3.5 inch external hard drives and the tablet powered them and mounted the NTFS volume perfectly with no messing around. USB mice that I tried also worked perfectly. Right click was supported – which came in super handy doing remote desktop connections. The Keyboard attaches very nicely to the tablet making a strong hinge. It really feels like a laptop. The only negative I’ve experienced is slow bus speed. My friends with the Tegra 3 generation transformers also have reported the same problem. The Tegra CPU/GPUs are great but poor bus performance removes some of the edge and the tablets have historically not performed as well as others with the same chip set. Hopefully ASUS has remedied that this time around. I’ll always respect them for their willingness to innovate – If they can invest just a little more in build quality I’ll come back to being a transformer user again.

Hans

I assume prices in dollars will be lower than stated in this article. This Asus tablet is available in The Netherlands as of today for a price of € 499 (dock included!). Normally, prices in dollars are translated one to one to euros, or there is a difference of max. 20. A $ 499 tablet in the US for example, costs € 479 here. So I assume, this Asus tablet will be $ 500 or a little bit more. Which is in my opinion a very nice price for a high end tablet with a dock.

Like Eli Kennedy I was a TF101 owner until last week. I was about to buy this new TF701T, but due to all the bad reviews of the newer Transformers and the proof I had last week, being a TF201 owner showing a broken screen (a problem that many Asus Transformer users experience), I decided to go for an iPad for now. No lag, great peformance. But I do miss the features of Android (widgets, customizable home screens, full multitasking with notifications really coming through), so when Asus is improving the quality of this and newer tablets to come, I would choose for an Asus Transformer again. I always liked the transformer strategy, turning your tablet into a truly productive mini laptop.

Tim Fennis

Hans where did you get the info ont he availablity in the Netherlands?! Been waiting for this device for ages..

wekebu

I’m an owner of the TF101. I love the convenience of having a keyboard and touch. It’s 2 1/2 years old and still going strong. My hesitation is, I’m mad that Asus only updated the TF101 once. It’s stuck at ICS. I’ve been eyeing the new Nexus 10. How long does the Nexus line receive updates?

ManBearPig618

You can probably bank on a solid 2 years of coverage with a Nexus product. Google will keep pushing it until the point that the hardware simply isn’t good enough, so to speak, to run the software.